City and Financial Doping | Charged by PL with 130 FFP breaches | Hearing begins 16th Sep 2024 | Concluded 9th Dec 2024 - Awaiting outcome

Exhibit A

Graham Wallace to Simon Pearce stating via email that the money coming from Abu Dhabi needs to be shown coming from multiple partners instead of one lump sum:

FoWpmACaMAAwDV4
'

Same request again:

FoWqW-KaEAIhviy


Here we have straight up collusion and accounting fruad:

FoWtcK_acAIUBjY


And here a plea to be cleaner so they don't get caught:

FoWvDsLaIAAVc_P
 
‘We cheated because we had to cheat to compete with the clubs that didn’t cheat’



City Defence Force grieves different.

‘At what point does this shitty point stay in the past when every owner wants to pump money in?
 
Really?

The champions of the most watched league in the world bring no attention to said league?

:lol:
If City get relegated tomorrow the PL viewership numbers won't suffer at all other than the drop due to Halaand fans jumping to his next team.
 
I'd love to see the stats for this country. I think the viewing figures for City when they're not playing one of the big boys would be comical. They're boring and so little people care.
 
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Kaveh from Sky is saying from the sense he's getting a small points deduction seems most likely if found guilty. Madness.

Probably right.

Only because the league don't have the stomach to really go for any serious punishment. As it could end up being tied up indefinitely in the courts for years. There will probably be a settlement, a meaningless fine, an immaterial points deduction and a we're sorry for being bold, we won't do it again. But they'll go and spend another 300m on full backs anyway.
 
With regard to City players (De Bruyne was mentioned specifically above, as an example) or managers having committed possible tax offences - I doubt that.

The Mancini business apparently amounted to them paying him a "second salary" in some sort of "consultant" capacity - not as an actual manager/coach (for one of their feeder teams). For players, they've probably dressed up the "second" salary as something similarly nebulous ("ambassador" or whatever). But they haven't been stupid enough to hand out "brown envelopes" to the individuals in question: in other words, these "bonus" arrangements have probably been above board with regard to taxes (as in: the money has been reported according to the rules).

The problem is (obviously) that none of this has been transparent/known to the PL.
 
Genie is out of bottle now. The key to the con trick was straight face, bluff it out, grease the wheels. But now the league has found it’s mojo, named the issue, brought in the outside cleaner-uppers. In case you didn’t notice, the holding defensive strategy is to say, PL don’t have guts to prosecute; fearsome lawyers, etc. Calms the waters, muddies them, etc etc. Popcorn…
 
I find this very sad from City to say we cheated to compete.

Thats all false because you can organically grow, Chelsea are sitting on the top table because they had rich owners but didn't need to falsify fans, sponsorship.

Yes, their owners invested alot of money, like many clubs, Villa, Forest etc..

They organically grew and spent over the years.

City and their journalists who protect this are pathetic.
 
‘We cheated because we had to cheat to compete with the clubs that didn’t cheat’



City Defence Force grieves different.


Well yes of COURSE I had to be drugged out of my eyeballs! Have you SEEN Usain Bolt? He's been working hard for years to get that physique and speed and then he wants to restrict others from taking drugs to complete so that he can win everything??

How else are we meant to compete quickly without putting in the years and effort that he has? It's not fair!
 
With regard to City players (De Bruyne was mentioned specifically above, as an example) or managers having committed possible tax offences - I doubt that.

The Mancini business apparently amounted to them paying him a "second salary" in some sort of "consultant" capacity - not as an actual manager/coach (for one of their feeder teams). For players, they've probably dressed up the "second" salary as something similarly nebulous ("ambassador" or whatever). But they haven't been stupid enough to hand out "brown envelopes" to the individuals in question: in other words, these "bonus" arrangements have probably been above board with regard to taxes (as in: the money has been reported according to the rules).

The problem is (obviously) that none of this has been transparent/known to the PL.
Agree with the part they should not be stupid enough to hand out cash to their players without paying any tax. But imo surely they would not dress those up as something like 'ambassador' etc. because it just defeat the whole purpose of reducing their wages bill and expenses. The 'second salary' must not be paid by them.

Imo that money was paid from a third party. Like one of their 'sponsors' or 'partners' under a PR, image right or whatever contract.
 
You're missing the point, massively.

Sponsors will need to see balance sheets to prove that the team is a good choice financially speaking.

If City have built their reputation by using fake puppet companies, that will have a knock on effect [Fake company A invests a million, real company A see's that and is tricked into thinking "we could offer more for a more prompinent placement" etc] Then down the road, new sponsors will see their *true* value, which can hamper further sponsorship deals.

It's not like these companies will be happy knowing they were conned, and then sponsor them again. Hell If City are found guilty, I wouldn't be surprised if the genuine companies that sponsor them sue them too, gaining investment through false financial records is very illegal and alot of money has changed hands

Words are incapable of capturing the look on my face, i have no idea what you're talking about

No smart company is getting fooled by Etihad sponsored in City in 2008. They were small, then

Now, they are recent champions of the most popular league in the world, watched by billions of people. Their games are high profile. But they'd have trouble attracting sponsors now?

Plus, sponsorships are done not for charity purposes, but for return on investment due to exposure - marketing - increased sales. If Samsung tested the waters in 2009 and saw no ROI due to City having no fans, they exit the deal. I'd love to see a sponsor sue on the basis of "Etihad sponsored them, we thought it was cool"

If City falsified financial documents then they have greater issues than the PL case; I assume falsified financial statements for the intent of gain is a crime in the UK? If so and they did that they deserve every sort of criminal/civil penalty applicable.
 
Is the tax man involved in this affair or not? I am pretty sure that what they were doing with Mancini, second payments off the books, is pretty much what Rangers were at for years to avoid tax liability. Also as a company they have a responsibility to file appropriate tax returns which they look like they did not do correctly as they could not show these tax return to the Premier League for 7 years.
Get the tax man involved, although unlike Rangers City will just pay any fine from the tax man and move on.
 
So you are not an Arsenal fan? What’s your legacy then? Your line sounds like it was invented by an accountant for the Super League

Is legacy really a trigger word? Jesus, my apologies, it was a mistake. If you're bored you can go to the Super League threads and search for my posts there; I loathe the concept of commodifying supporters in that manner
 
Imo that money was paid from a third party.

Yes, that's what I meant. "Ambassador" for some third party brand (seemingly, technically) or other - not for City themselves.

Similarly, Mancini would have acted (on paper) as a "consultant" for a different club/operation (not City themselves).

ETA To be clear, I say "they" (meaning City) paid Mancini a second salary because...well, that's what they did: but technically it wouldn't have been the same entity that paid his regular salary (as you say, that would've increased their official expenses).
 
‘We cheated because we had to cheat to compete with the clubs that didn’t cheat’



City Defence Force grieves different.



Guess we have found the first journo to put himself out as on the payroll.

I've no doubt a lot of journos are going to get destroyed by this, for being in bed with them. He's is 100% one of them.


Incredible article to be honest.



So daft and uninformed.

Can never understand why anyone would want to die on a hill of supporting a state owned club, that have absolutely distorted the financial landscape of football thru cheating, but he seems ok with it.

Shameless to be honest most of the media outlets going back to 2008. Not sure if it was ABU driving the love in, or the hush gifts and treated like royalty for sport washing purposes. All turned a blind eye, even some pretended they beat UEFA as well when they were still guilty. But took the overturned ban for completing in the competition as a admittance of innocence on city part. Incredible actually
 
I am pretty sure that what they were doing with Mancini, second payments off the books, is pretty much what Rangers were at for years to avoid tax liability.

Well, it depends on exactly what they did.

But if Mancini was - on paper - doing "consultant" work for a third party, that wouldn't be a matter for the tax man (as such).

The "third party" would effectively/in reality be the same money men who pay his regular salary - but that isn't necessarily illegal.

(Luckily, though, it doesn't have to be illegal - the fact that it's fishy as feck may be enough: City are at the mercy of their peers to a great extent here: they can be nailed for cheating even if it can't be established that they've done something that warrants individuals to be investigated for actual tax fraud, etc.

ETA Point being that they can - easily - be found guilty of having broken the relevant rules without having broken any actual (UK) laws.)

ETA II Which they may have done too, of course - but I'd consider that a bonus (so to speak).
 
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Genie is out of bottle now. The key to the con trick was straight face, bluff it out, grease the wheels. But now the league has found it’s mojo, named the issue, brought in the outside cleaner-uppers. In case you didn’t notice, the holding defensive strategy is to say, PL don’t have guts to prosecute; fearsome lawyers, etc. Calms the waters, muddies them, etc etc. Popcorn…
I think it’s more the case that the PL’s members (clubs) have put immense pressure on the league since they were found in breach of multiple FFP regulations by UEFA, as in the PL rules and regulations it states that you must follow their rules but also all the rules of the European competitions you may compete in otherwise the PL can charge you.
 
They could have 5 more premier leagues, all obtained by cheating, before this all gets sorted.
I think it will get resolved in 6 months but they’ll be an appeal by either side and then that will take another 6 months. See Derby County for the pace of these things
 
If City decide to go nuclear, the amount of people who are revealed to have been on the take from them will be the stuff of Hollywood - or maybe seen as too incredulous to be a believable movie!

The amount of people sweating bullets over this must be truly spectacular.

Has there ever been a bigger scandal than this in sport? Calcipoli looks like child's play compared. A decade plus of systematic cheating is going to take some topping! Perhaps the gymnastics scandal?
Have you seen the articles coming out in their support? You can guarantee those feckers are worried.
 
They could have 5 more premier leagues, all obtained by cheating, before this all gets sorted.
Not a chance, they’re in limbo now. What player can join them with this hanging over their heads? Pep has already checked out
 
I think it will get resolved in 6 months but they’ll be an appeal by either side and then that will take another 6 months. See Derby County for the pace of these things

I think it'll be closer to six years than six months

but I know nothing :lol:
 
Exhibit A

Graham Wallace to Simon Pearce stating via email that the money coming from Abu Dhabi needs to be shown coming from multiple partners instead of one lump sum:

FoWpmACaMAAwDV4
'

Same request again:

FoWqW-KaEAIhviy


Here we have straight up collusion and accounting fruad:

FoWtcK_acAIUBjY


And here a plea to be cleaner so they don't get caught:

FoWvDsLaIAAVc_P
interesting to see Sorriano cc'd

there's no way Pep was oblivious to this
 
Exhibit A

Graham Wallace to Simon Pearce stating via email that the money coming from Abu Dhabi needs to be shown coming from multiple partners instead of one lump sum:

FoWpmACaMAAwDV4
'

Same request again:

FoWqW-KaEAIhviy


Here we have straight up collusion and accounting fruad:

FoWtcK_acAIUBjY


And here a plea to be cleaner so they don't get caught:

FoWvDsLaIAAVc_P
Wait are these actual emails that were leaked? Whats the credibility?